AURORA, Colo., February 25, 2009 — BCR welcomes the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder Libraries as the first participant in BCR’s Shelf2Life program. By joining the Shelf2Life program, CU Boulder Libraries is bringing its collection of pre-1923 U.S.-published monographs back into the public domain, along with other unique collections that have had limited or no access due to age, condition or scarcity. CU Boulder Library’s initial Shelf2Life collection is focusing on western history, followed by collections on railroads and mining. The books will be available as print-on-demand through hundreds of online retailers.

James F. Williams, II, Dean of the University of Colorado Libraries, Boulder, said, “The University of Colorado Boulder Library sees this program as an opportunity to bring our hidden collections to researchers, students and general readers regardless of where they are located. Making these titles available as print-on-demand and as ebooks allows delivery to all types of information seekers and provides an invaluable return-on-investment for these types of information resources.”

“I’m pleased that the University of Colorado Boulder is the first to join BCR’s Shelf2Life,” said BCR’s President and CEO Brenda Bailey-Hainer. “They bring not only a rich and varied collection to the program, but also a spirit of leadership in identifying new and innovative ways to share their materials throughout the world.”

When completed, CU Boulder Libraries’ collection of travel diaries, novels, biographies, poetry and more will be brought to light, revealing the lives of the individuals and groups who were the recorders of this period of westward expansion. Through this unique program, CU Boulder Libraries will meet its mandate to share its collections with new audiences as well as provide faculty, staff, students and researchers access to important content as never before.

Formerly buried in the University Library, newly republished books such as “History of the Discovery of the Northwest by John Nicolet in 1634” or “Starr King in California” are now easily accessible. Discover how the Northwest was once thought to extend as far as the territories of the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, or learn about a part of California’s history that has been obscured by the veil of time.

BCR’s Shelf2Life program wants to help libraries and cultural heritage organizations share their collections with new audiences. By helping libraries digitize and widen access to their collections, BCR's Shelf2Life program helps libraries increase the visibility, use and recognition of their important collections. The program helps researchers, collectors and readers by putting these editions within easy reach — in print-on-demand or electronic format.

About CU Boulder Libraries
The University of Colorado at Boulder's University Libraries has a threefold mission. First, to be central to the University community's discovery, communication and use of knowledge by providing materials, information and services that support the University's mission. Second, to serve as a research resource for Colorado residents through support for individual, business, cultural, educational, governmental and other information needs. Third, to share resources with the national and international higher education community. In order to continue to meet this mission and their high level of service to the University, research, higher education, local, national and international communities, the CU Boulder University Libraries continually strive to innovate and adapt their collections and delivery options.

About BCR
BCR brings libraries together for greater success by expanding their knowledge, reach and power. They offer a broad range of solutions and their hands-on, personal attention to each member enables them to deliver effective and timely solutions that help libraries keep pace with new developments in technology and services. BCR is the nation’s oldest and most established multistate library cooperative. Since 1935, the BCR team has helped libraries learn new skills, reach patrons, increase productivity and save money. BCR (Bibliographical Center for Research) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit headquartered in Aurora, Colorado. For more information, visit www.BCR.org or email info@BCR.org.

And WordPress adds great ease of use, permalinks, comments/trackbacks/pingbacks, and other social and web-centric features to that structured data. But that’s not news. The news is that Scriblio now has an internal data model that supports much more sophisticated uses (slides 3 and 4). Whereas previous versions of Scriblio were mostly just display and social interaction interfaces to data that’s created or managed elsewhere, this new version supports soup to nuts creation and management of collections. Colby-Sawyer College’s archive (slide 5) is the first to implement this (take note of how the horizontal search layout makes the facets more visible and usable).

And that new data model also improves the usefulness of Scriblio to regular libraries (Collingswood (NJ) Public Library is shown on slide 6). Because Scriblio has an internal awareness of the metadata, it can automatically merge records from multiple sources (or multiple copies of the same record from the same source). The source of each piece of metadata in a record is identified and preserved (see the sourceid column in slides 7,8,9), allowing records to contain data from multiple sources (each with, perhaps, its own licensing terms). A practical example is enriching book records with data from LibraryThing’s Common Knowledge web service, making that data part of the index and facets in the local catalog, while also properly crediting the service when a record contains that data.

The automated merging of records enables a few new applications. Among them: the merging of an A to Z periodical list with the ILS’s inventory, or the creation of a union catalog from several systems. Slide 11 shows a prototype union catalog that shows materials (and their real-time availability) from three institutions in New Hampshire. Assembling that catalog was as easy as entering each ILS’s hostname and record number range in the harvester (slide 12).

I didn’t mention it during the presentation, but Scriblio is now built to work well in both regular WordPress as well as WordPress MU, the multi-user version of WordPress that allows a single installation to host many different sites (think WordPress.com) at a marginal cost to the hosting organization that approaches zero. The work to make Scriblio compatible with WordPress MU was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (there’s lots more to say about that project soon).
Related:

Rossland (B.C.) Public Library Goes Live with Evergreen
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Norcross, GA – February 23, 2009

Rossland Public Library has become the 14th library in British Columbia’s SITKA consortium to go live with Evergreen, the consortial-quality open-source library automation software.

Rossland Public Library’s migration to Evergreen is one more step in a process that will see up to 34 SITKA libraries running Evergreen on a shared catalog by the end of 2009. Equinox Software Inc., the support and development company for Evergreen, is providing ongoing 24/7 technical support for SITKA’s Evergreen implementations.

Sharon Herbert, Project Manager for the Evergreen implementation project at BC SITKA, said, "As libraries successfully come on board to SITKA, we are seeing the positive impact of collaborative partnerships on service delivery and access to all. Evergreen is key to our strategy."

“The powerful advantages of Evergreen are becoming increasingly evident in this economic downtown,” said Brad LaJeunesse, Equinox company president. “Evergreen’s ability to serve the needs of growing consortia and the fiscal security of its open code make Evergreen an obvious slam-dunk for libraries everywhere.”

SITKA is following a gradual approach to moving libraries over to Evergreen; libraries opt-in on their own schedule. Many libraries are anticipated to join over the next several years when their existing automation vendor contracts expire.

Evergreen is consortial-quality, open-source library software initially developed to support Georgia PINES, a resource-sharing consortium with over 270 public libraries. Evergreen was designed from the ground up to be robust, fault-tolerant, service-oriented, and standards-based. Evergreen nimbly evolves to meet the needs of very large, high-transaction, multi-site consortia, while elegantly scaling down to the smallest library sites.

The growing, multinational Evergreen development community has shepherded Evergreen through a series of carefully-planned releases that have further strengthened Evergreen’s consortial capabilities while adding popular and useful functionality. Evergreen 2.0, due out in 2009, will add acquisitions, serials, and reserves to Evergreen’s outstanding functionality.

From its debut in September 2006, Evergreen has earned acclaim and praise from users worldwide, including a Technology Collaboration Award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional Evergreen implementations include consortial projects such as Michigan Evergreen and Evergreen Indiana, and libraries such as Kent County Public Library in Maryland, Marshall Public Library in Missouri, the National Weather Center Library, and the University of Prince Edward Island. King County Library System, a public library system in Washington State, and the thirteen libraries of Natural Resources Canada have also contracted with Equinox Software for Evergreen services. For more information about Evergreen, visit http://evergreen-ils.org

About Equinox Software, Inc.

Founded by the original Evergreen designers and developers, Equinox Software is a growing team of skilled developers and other professionals who provide comprehensive support for Evergreen, the consortial-quality, open source Integrated Library System (ILS). Equinox develops, supports, trains, migrates, integrates, and consults on Evergreen, and engages with the rapidly expanding Evergreen community. Instead of one-size-fits-all support, Equinox works closely with libraries to ensure Evergreen is implemented in the manner that best fits their individual needs.

In addition to support, custom development and integration services, Equinox offers complete Evergreen hosting packages for libraries wishing to outsource their ILS infrastructure. Equinox also provides consulting services for libraries seeking more insight into the value proposition of open source software.

SOMERDALE, NJ, February 23, 2009: Library Automation Technologies, Inc. (LAT), a leader in library automation products, is pleased to announce the addition of the LAT-AllAccessPass™ capability to the allCIRC™ product line, which allows multiple machines to act as one, virtual device.

This capability provide a seamless, integrated environment for patrons to be able to use any allCIRC™ machine, regardless of its physical location in the library, for any item, even if that particular item is not physically stored in that particular machine.

Oleg Boyarsky, President and CEO of LAT commented "Since our allCIRC™ machines are already a center point of any library by allowing patron self-checkout and secure media dispensing all in one portable device, with the addition of the AllAccessPass™ we can now make multiple machines act as one. This further enhances the patron experience and delivers unprecedented value to our library customers."

allCIRC™ is a revolutionary new product, a new way of thinking, a paradigm shift in library security and self service, especially when it concerns media protection. Designed specifically for libraries, allCIRC™ provides both secure CD/DVD/BluRay/PS3... media dispensing as well as a complete book self check system all-in-one highly portable machine at a cost of less than any standard book self check! Because of its unique concept, libraries no longer need spend on security devices, gates, tags, staff, RFID …etc., to protect their media, while simultaneously providing self-service to patrons. allCIRC™ is installed in various libraries across the country.

For more information about LAT's technology and all library products, jump to: www.LATcorp.com For more information about allCIRC™ product line, jump to: www.allCIRC.com

Library Automation Technologies Inc., (LAT) founded in 2001 has installations in hundreds of libraries throughout the United States. LAT's sole mission is to help libraries and data centers to work better, smarter and more securely. LAT's innovation earned the firm the coveted "#1 Fastest Growing in South Jersey, 2005" by the Philadelphia Business Journal, as well as a "Finalist in the Family Business of the Year, 2006" award presented by Farleigh Dickinson College. LAT further continues its growth expanding into automation by delivering media dispensing line of products solely dedicated to library operations.

# # #

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Oleg Boyarsky / CEO, please call Robert Baker at: 856-566-4121 or e-mail Robert at: Bob@LATcorp.com

Natural Resources Canada Library Selects Evergreen and Equinox
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Norcross, GA –February 20, 2009
Natural Resources Canada Library, a 13-library organization providing services to one of the largest science-based departments in the Government of Canada, has selected Evergreen, the open source, consortial-quality library software, as their next-generation library automation system. In preparation, NRCan, as it is popularly known, has signed a contract with Equinox Software Inc. for library data migration services, software configuration, consultation, and ongoing Evergreen technical support.
The NRCan libraries, which are distributed across Canada with five libraries in the Ottawa area, are currently running on two separate library systems which will migrate to Evergreen in phased deployments from 2008 through 2010.
“What many libraries want is to hit that ‘sweet spot’ between the classic turn-key solution as well as having unrestricted developer-oriented possibilities when required,” said George Duimovich, Systems Librarian. Duimovich added, “Evergreen offers the better of both worlds. Our staff and patrons will be best served by a system that we can better control, influence and support.”
“Yet another large library organization adopting Evergreen points to its innate robust qualities,” said Brad LaJeunesse, Equinox company president. “Commercially-supported open source software is a prudent decision in these shaky times. No hidden code, no absurd ‘licensing’ fees, no bad surprises.”
About Natural Resources Canada
The Department of Natural Resources Act came into force in 1995, creating NRCan by merging energy, mines, and resources with Forestry Canada. NRCan, which employs about 4,200 people, specializes in earth sciences and in the sustainable development and use of natural resources, such as energy, forests, and minerals and metals. Their website is at http://www.nrcan.gc.ca
About Evergreen
Evergreen is consortial-quality, open-source library software initially developed to support Georgia PINES, a resource-sharing consortium with over 270 public libraries. Evergreen was designed from the ground up to be robust, fault-tolerant, service-oriented, and standards-based. Evergreen nimbly evolves to meet the needs of very large, high-transaction, multi-site consortia, while elegantly scaling down to the smallest library sites.
The growing, multinational Evergreen development community has shepherded Evergreen through a series of carefully-planned releases that have further strengthened Evergreen’s consortial capabilities while adding popular and useful functionality. Evergreen 2.0, due out in 2009, will add acquisitions, serials, and reserves to Evergreen’s outstanding functionality.
From its debut in September 2006, Evergreen has earned acclaim and praise from users worldwide, including a Technology Collaboration Award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional Evergreen implementations include consortial projects such as Michigan Evergreen, Evergreen Indiana, and British Columbia SITKA, and libraries such as Kent County Public Library in Maryland, Marshall Public Library in Missouri, the National Weather Center Library, and the University of Prince Edward Island. King County Library System, a public library system in Washington State, and The North Texas Regional Library System (NTRLS) have also contracted with Equinox Software for Evergreen development. For more information about Evergreen, visit http://evergreen-ils.org
About Equinox Software, Inc.
Founded by the original Evergreen designers and developers, Equinox Software is a growing team of skilled developers and other professionals who provide comprehensive support for Evergreen, the consortial-quality, open source Integrated Library System (ILS). Equinox develops, supports, trains, migrates, integrates, and consults on Evergreen, and engages with the rapidly expanding Evergreen community. Instead of one-size-fits-all support, Equinox works closely with libraries to ensure Evergreen is implemented in the manner that best fits their individual needs.
In addition to support, custom development and integration services, Equinox offers complete Evergreen hosting packages for libraries wishing to outsource their ILS infrastructure. Equinox also provides consulting services for libraries seeking more insight into the value proposition of open source software.
Press contact: Corinne Hall, corinne@esilibrary.com, 678-269-6113
For more information on Equinox Software, please visit http://www.esilibrary.com.
Evergreen is open source software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL. Evergreen and the Evergreen logo are trademarks of the Georgia Public Library Service.